The idea of alternate realities has always inspired me to think beyond what’s possible in our 3 dimensions of time plus space. Fantasy, by its very existence, brings to mind the possibility of a time and place where physical laws work differently from our own, or are more flexible, leading to very different lives for its inhabitants. Read more
Frank Frazetta’s paintings showed me that art could be primal and terrifying, portraying an ancient and primitive world, where the terror of the unknown lurked in every shadow. If you stare for a while, his paintings can make you forget that civilization exists, surrendering the notion that you’re protected from those monstrous creatures and cruel gods that tormented early humanity. Read more
In the first few pages of E. R. Eddison’s The Worm Ouroboros, we see a man named Lessingham carried on the back of a hippogriff. He is led by a magical black martlet to a world called Mercury—a world that resembles the Viking Age of Earth. Lessingham is to be an observer of the story … Read more